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Tue, 24 Aug 2004

Using a Linux server with a Mac

Until recently, I was using a Blue & White G3/350 as my file server. When the drive died suddenly, I decided to replace it with a Linux box, since the G3 can't handle drives larger than 120G and the IDE performance is poor by today's standards. With some trial and error, I found an optimal setup for using Linux as a file server for Macs.


After shopping around, I decided to buy a custom-built AMD Duron system from CPU Solutions optimized for my needs. In particular, I wanted a larger drive than most entry level PCs, no installed OS, and it didn't need the fastest CPU or video card. The system ended up costing only $372 as configured.


I looked at several Linux distributions and decided to go with Libranet, which is fully compatible with Debian but has a nice installer and enhanced administration utilities. Anyone who uses Fink will feel right at home with Debian's package manager.


It took less than 1/2 hour to install, and it worked immediately. The first thing I did was install Netatalk for AppleTalk & AFP support.


Surprisingly, I found that Netatalk was the worst option for file sharing with Mac OS X, due to its file naming limitations. Netatalk provides several configuration options for case conversion, but none to preserve and ignore case as HFS+ does. Also, when copying files to a Netatalk volume it will stop when it encounters a file with a name too long for it to handle.


I found that Samba has no such limitations. It will handle long file names and treats case the same as HFS+. NFS will also handle long names, but it remains case sensitive.


Setting up NFS can be a bit tricky. To connect from a Mac, you must have a line such as the following in /etc/exports on the server:


/ 192.168.0.0/255.255.255.0(rw,async,insecure)

The IP address can be either the IP address of any machine you want to be able to connect to it or a subnet range. You must specify the insecure option to allow Macs to connect. For best performance, specify async. Note that 'sync' will prevent data loss in the event of a server crash, but it drastically reduces performance. I found that copying a 700M disk image took 30 minutes with sync and less than 5 minutes with async.


Since NFS uses Unix permissions, your user ID number should be the same on the server as it is on your Mac. On Macs, the first user created will have an ID of 501. That may not be the case in Linux - on my Libranet system, the initial user ID was 1000. You can change it by logging in as root and using the command usermod -u 501 name.

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MetaCase releases MetaEdit+ 4.0 for Mac OS X

MetaCase has released a Mac OS X version of its customizable modeling and code generation environment MetaEdit+, aimed at the expert developer looking to gain productivity by generating full code directly from models. MetaEdit+ 4.0 runs on Mac OS X starting version 10.2.x.

The MetaEdit+ environment includes Method Workbench that an experienced developer uses to define a modeling language as a metamodel and a code generator to turn the models into code. Method Workbench guides the process and automatically creates the modeling tools for the development team, who can then focus on making high-level design specifications using the domain-specific modeling language, resulting in full generation of code directly from design models.

The Mac OS X release further extends platform support of MetaEdit+ in addition to Windows XP/2000/NT/98, Linux, HP-UX, and Solaris*. MetaEdit+ for Mac OS X is available for evaluation

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Win an iPod mini at the South Beach iPod Garage Party

Win an iPod mini at the South Beach iPod Garage Party

What's cooler than hanging with your fellow iPod users on Miami's South Beach on September 1st? How about going home with a brand new iPod mini in your pocket?

Yeah, that probably got your attention. But thanks to event sponsors iPodResQ, the iPod mini is just one prize among many that we'll be giving away at the South Beach iPod Garage Party. So what do you have to do to win? All you have to do is show up with your iPod, connect it to our sound system, and play "DJ" for twelve minutes as you share the highlights of your own music library with the rest of us (as many songs as you like, as long as it fits within the time limit). Yep, it's your very own twelve minutes of fame.

Here's how it works: when the doors open at 5:00 pm, we will begin assigning time slots ranging from 7:00 to 11:00 pm (first come, first served). So if you want to compete, you'll probably want to show up early enough to reserve yourself a time slot before they've all been assigned. If you show up later in the evening and all the slots are already taken, we'll place you on the stand-by list, and you'll be eligible for any slots that open up during the course of the evening.

As a contestant, you can either create an on-the-go playlist on your iPod ahead of time, or you can simply have it in your head which songs you want to play. Our techno-geeks will be in the DJ booth with you, to ensure that you don't run into any problems in getting your music played. So set your shyness aside, and remember that if you want to be the one who goes home with the iPod mini in your pocket, you're going to have to get up there and earn it -- at least for twelve minutes, anyway.

The prizes for the top five contestants, as determined by our esteemed panel of judges:

First Prize: iPod Mini

Second Prize: Shure E2C Sound Isolating Earphones

Third Prize: Griffin iTrip 2 and Griffin iTalk

Fourth Prize: iPodResQ Self-Service Battery Replacement Kit for 1st and 2nd
Generation iPods with a FireWire Port

Fifth Prize: Contour Design White Showcase iPod Carrying Case

For more information, visit http://www.iPodGarageParty.com

If you would like to attend the South Beach iPod Garage Party as a member of the media, contact media@iPodGarage.com in order to acquire media credentials

General inquiries should be directed to party@iPodGarage.com

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